Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection was diagnosed in 12 children on the basis of recovery of the organism from stool cultures and a 4-fold or greater titer change in agglutinating antibody. Eight of the 12 Yersinia isolates were recovered from stool cultures only after cold enrichment. Clinical findings in 50% or more of patients were fever, rash, diarrhea, desquamation, strawberry tongue, vomiting, red and cracked lips, abdominal pain, arthralgias, hepatomegaly and conjunctivitis. The patients' clinical manifestations and courses of illness resembled those of Izumi fever, an illness that occurs epidemically in Japan. Additionally the finding in two children fulfilled the strict criteria for Kawasaki syndrome, and signs in the other 10 children were consistent with that diagnosis.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnostic capability and rational resectional surgery for early gallbladder cancer.

Gallbladder carcinoma limited to the mucosa (pT1a) or muscularis proper (pT1b) with no lymph node metastasis (stage I) is defined as early carcinoma of the gallbladder. Eleven patients with early carcinoma of the gallbladder, treated by either simple or extended cholecystectomy (cholecystectomy plus wedge resection of the gallbladder bed of the liver and lymphadenectomy), were reviewed to determine the diagnostic capability and to clarify the rational resectional procedure for this stage of the disease. A definitive pre-operative diagnosis was made in only 2 patients with pT1b tumors. Most of the remaining 9 patients were diagnosed incidentally after cholecystectomy for polyps or stones. Among 7 patients with pT1a tumors, 5 underwent simple cholecystectomy and 2 underwent extended cholecystectomy. All 7 patients survived with a recurrence-free condition for 5 years or more following the operation. Two patients with pT1b tumors, however, died of a local recurrence or bile duct carcinoma following simple cholecystectomy. Two patients with pT1b tumors who were correctly diagnosed before the operation and underwent extended cholecystectomy survived without recurrence. It is concluded that patients with pT1a tumors can be successfully treated by simple cholecystectomy, while patients with pT1b tumors require extended cholecystectomy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of supplementary parenteral nutrition on thyroid hormone patterns in surgical patients with liver cirrhosis.

The relationship between nutritional intervention and circulating thyroid hormones and rapid-turnover proteins was investigated in surgical patients with liver cirrhosis. Fourteen patients with well-compensated liver cirrhosis who were subjected to operations for esophageal varices or hepatoma were divided into two groups. The oral group was offered an oral diet containing 2200 kcal/day before surgery and conventional intravenous infusions of 5% glucose after the operation (500-600 kcal/day). The supplementary parenteral nutrition (SPN) group was offered the same oral diet as the oral group, combined with intravenous 50% glucose, fat emulsion, and branched-chain enriched amino acid solution, 600-1000 kcal and 7.32 g nitrogen/day during the 10 days before surgery and 800-1800 kcal and 7.32-9.76 g nitrogen/day during the first 2 wk postoperative. Plasma triiodothyronine (T3) was higher in the SPN group (1.26 +/- 0.09 ng/ml) than in the oral group (0.91 +/- 0.08 ng/ml) (P less than 0.001), and reverse T3 (rT3) was lower in the SPN group (297 +/- 33 pg/ml) than in the oral group (351 +/- 29 pg/ml (P less than 0.01) on the day of surgery. In addition, SPN significantly attenuated the low T3 and high rT3 levels found in the oral group throughout the 2 postoperative wk. In addition, attenuation of decreases in rapid-turnover proteins was achieved in the SPN group. It is likely that the SPN contributed to the partial correction of liver dysfunction and metabolic imbalance in traumatized cirrhotic patients.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Temporary metabolic support by extracorporeal blood therapy for liver failure after surgery.

With the aim of temporarily assisting deterioration of liver function developing after surgery, extracorporeal blood purification therapy (EBPT) (plasma exchange and/or hemofiltration) was carried out in 26 postoperative patients. Initiation of EBPT was instituted according to the criteria of either a serum bilirubin greater than 15 mg/dl or Grade 2 or more coma. Plasma exchange was carried out 235 times in 23 patients and hemofiltration was performed 28 times for seven patients. In addition, hemodialysis and CAPD were linked in eight cases. Plasma exchange was found to control the progression of DIC and endotoxemia. Nine patients (35%) were weaned from EBPT. In the survivors the levels of blood ammonia and number of major complications were significantly lower compared to the nonsurvivors. Three patients treated only with hemofiltration were all lost. Among co-morbid factors present, incidences of renal failure, respiratory failure, and associated liver cirrhosis significantly increased poor clinical outcome on EBPT for postoperative liver failure.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Significance of hepatic assist by plasma exchange. With special reference to host defense mechanisms.

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Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fuel utilization and glucose hyperalimentation after liver resection.

Clinical studies and experiments in rats were carried out to elucidate changes in fuel utilization after hepatectomy. In addition, the effect of glucose hyperalimentation on energy metabolism in the liver remnant was studied. Respiratory quotient (RQ) and substrate oxidation rate for fat and glucose were evaluated by indirect calorimetry in eight patients who had undergone liver resection. Patients had a reduced nonprotein RQ of approximately 0.85 and a reduced ratio of glucose to fat oxidation of approximately 2.0 on the 1st and 2nd postoperative days. After 80% hepatectomy, rats received either 30 kcal.kg-1.day-1 (group 1) or 200 kcal.kg-1.day-1 (group 2) of glucose for 48 h. In both rat groups, hepatic mitochondrial ATP synthesis 12 and 24 h after hepatectomy was accelerated when palmitic acid was used as the substrate and suppressed when pyruvate was used compared with sham-operated groups. This suggests that the energy substrate of the remnant liver was principally fatty acids rather than glucose, which seems to occur also in humans. Hepatic energy charge was within normal limits in group 1 (0.862 +/- 0.008) but decreased significantly in group 2 (0.818 +/- 0.006, p < 0.01) 12 h after hepatectomy. An abundance of glucose in the early postoperative period therefore caused a hepatic energy derangement by suppressing endogenous fat oxidation. This suppression was corroborated by the findings of lower immunoreactive glucagon and nonesterified fatty acid concentration in group 2. Therefore, glucose hyperalimentation in the early postoperative period after liver resection is not recommended.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗